Game Makes for Happy Winner in Windsor

DENVER - Robert Thompson of Windsor won $5,000 in the Colorado Lottery’s Scratch game $3 Happy Crossword. JJ’s Country Corner, 4015 S. Taft Hill Rd. in Fort Collins, sold the winning ticket.

A faithful Lottery participant, Thompson has played almost every day since the Lottery began in 1983. The retiree says he plans to use his winnings to take a trip.

In Weld County, more than $56 million in Lottery proceeds have helped to improve community parks, wildlife areas, wetlands initiatives and nature trails such as the Island Grove Trail along the Poudre River in Greeley.

Proceeds from the Colorado Lottery’s games - Scratch, Lotto, Powerball and Cash 5 - stay in Colorado to improve the quality of life in the state. In fiscal year 2006, more than $125.5 million was returned to Colorado. Since the lottery started in 1983, more than $1.7 billion has been returned to the state.